Máximo Trench, Universidad Nacional del Comahue and National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)

Lucía Micaela Tavernini, Universidad Nacional del Comahue and National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)

Robert L. Goldstone, Indiana University

Abstract

Recent results demonstrate that inducing an abstract
representation of target analogs at retrieval time aids access to analogous
situations with mismatching surface features (i.e., the late abstraction
principle). A limitation of current implementations of this principle is that
they either require the external provision of target-specific information or
demand very high intellectual engagement. Experiment 1 demonstrated that
constructing an idealized situation model of a target problem increases the rate
of correct solutions compared to constructing either concrete simulations or no
simulations. Experiment 2 confirmed that these results were based on an advantage
for accessing the base analog, and not merely on an advantage of idealized
simulations for understanding the target problem in its own terms. This target
idealization strategy has broader applicability than prior interventions based on
the late abstraction principle, because it can be achieved by a greater
proportion of participants and without the need to receive target-specific
information.